This bill creates a new, statewide permit-to-purchase regime administered by the Washington State Patrol (WSP) firearms background check program and makes extensive amendments to existing firearms laws. It adds a new permit-to-purchase section (Sec. 2) and requires dealers (under amended RCW 9.41.090) to withhold delivery of a firearm until the buyer produces a valid WSP permit, the WSP background check system (SAFE) tells the dealer the buyer is eligible, and the time and procedural requirements in RCW 9.41.092 are satisfied. The WSP must run checks against NICS, state criminal and identification systems, the Health Care Authority, court records, LInX-NW, and other sources; notify dealers of delays for unresolved warrants, charges, or proceedings; retain or destroy purchase applications consistent with federal law; and treat false statements on applications as false swearing under RCW 9A.72.040. The bill establishes application, fingerprint, training, timing, appeals, and reporting procedures. Applicants must submit fingerprints taken by local law enforcement, a certificate of completion of a certified firearms safety training program within five years (or proof of statutory exemption), identifying information, and a fee (the permit application fee is referenced but the specific text for that fee is not included in the extracted material). WSP must issue or deny permits within 30 days of a completed application (60 days in specified residency/ID cases), conduct annual rechecks of permit holders and revoke ineligibles, and provide an appeal path to superior court under a new Sec. 12 with expedited timelines. Permits are valid five years; WSP may charge fees to cover program costs with receipts deposited into a specified state account. The bill also amends concealed pistol license (CPL) law (RCW 9.41.070 and related sections) to require standardized applications, fingerprints for originals (unless the applicant presents a valid permit-to-purchase), certified training with live-fire and a 50-round minimum (with limited exemptions), specified fees and fee distributions ($36 original, $32 renewal, $10 replacement), set issuance/renewal timelines, mandatory revocations on certain events, mandatory surrender/transfer rules and detailed court-notification and restoration procedures after convictions, involuntary commitments, or insanity acquittals, including evidentiary standards for restoration petitions. The proposal imposes new dealer licensing, security, records, reporting, and employee requirements. Dealers and dealer employees who sell firearms must be fingerprinted and background-checked (employees annually), dealers must maintain enhanced physical security, surveillance and records (including daily electronic submissions to SAFE and daily transfer records to the director of licensing), notify law enforcement and ATF of losses within 24 hours, carry liability insurance, and are subject to criminal penalties and permanent license revocation for unlawful transfers (sale/delivery in violation of RCW 9.41.080 is a class C felony with mandatory permanent revocation). WSP must build and operate a centralized automated background check system integrated with the courts’ case management system, require dealers to use it (starting 30 days after WSP notice), cap the per-check dealer fee at $18, and report to the legislature; records created by WSP for checks are exempt from public disclosure. The act contains severability language and an effective date of November 1, 2026. Important procedural details and some referenced subsections (including exact permit-to-purchase fee provisions and certain truncated sentences) are missing from the extracted material and are therefore not summarized here.

If enacted, people who want to buy a firearm in Washington will generally need to get a permit-to-purchase from the Washington State Patrol (WSP) before a dealer can deliver the gun. Getting that permit will require fingerprints, a certified firearms safety training certificate from the last five years (or an approved exemption), an application fee and expanded background checks that include NICS, state health and court records, and other systems; WSP must issue or deny most completed permit applications within 30 days and will verify permit holders’ eligibility annually and revoke permits when disqualifying events are found. Courts and local law enforcement must send identifying information quickly after certain convictions, commitments, or extreme risk orders so WSP and the Department of Licensing can revoke permits or concealed pistol licenses, and the WSP will report timelines and annual permit and license statistics to the legislature; the act takes effect November 1, 2026. Firearm dealers face many new duties and costs: new licensing and annual certification, employee fingerprinting and annual background checks, tightened security and alarm standards, mandatory video surveillance and recordkeeping, prompt reporting to law enforcement and ATF of losses, and insurance and fee obligations; failure to follow rules can bring criminal penalties, permanent license revocation, and civil exposure. WSP and local law enforcement will absorb more processing, revocation, notification, and reporting work but will receive fee revenue routed to a state firearms background check account to cover program costs; key details needed to estimate exact cost and timeline impacts—most notably the permit application fee amount, some procedural timings, and several cross-referenced provisions—are not provided in the extracted text.